Begin your Career in Criminal Justice (Video)

Criminal justice is becoming an increasing popular
career field. They look at the way society controls crime and negligence
and deal with the rehabilitation of criminals. Choosing the best school
for you can be a daunting task.Criminal justice education is important before having a successful criminal justice career. Mostly all of them who are professionals hold either an associate degree or a
bachelor degree. An associate degree can be completed for just two years
while bachelor degree can be finished for four years. These courses
also vary be specializations and the type of job. But, all of these
educational programs include subjects on general psychology, sociology,
political science, forensics and public administration. Every criminal
justice career has a specialized skill and requirements. All jobs in
this field have a lot of required strength like being attentive to
details, ability to work under pressure and must meet deadlines.Investigative skills are also important. These people should also have
the ability to work in places where they may be unfamiliar or
uncomfortable. Since these job requires a person to deal with a lot of
people, communication skills is important. One also has to know how to
work independently or as a member of the investigating team. These
skills and knowledge are molded and being taught in all criminal justice
schools to prepare the students for their future careers. Job
opportunities are everywhere but competing for this job position is a
challenge.The admission process of getting into a college
justice program for a four year program can be more competitive. Though a
high school or community college GPA plays a big role getting into
criminal justice school, but it’s not the only factor that matters in
your application for a four year program. To get into a justice school
for a four year program you may also require to take the SAT or ACT.
Adding to this, you may even require writing an admission essay. In this
admission essay, you may require to describe your interest in criminal
justice. Adding to this, you may also require submitting the letters of
recommendation. Moreover, the next key elements that can easily draw
attention to your application are the proper and authenticate evidence
of extracurricular involvement. If it’s possible for you, try to attach
those evidence that can demonstrate your community mindedness, and
responsibility. These are traits that can attest to your readiness to be
a criminal justice major.

Utilize your scholarship counselor
as they have much experience in this area. Your counselor will also have
a running list of any new scholarships and awards that come out so
check with your Guidance office often. You can have your guidance
counselor assist you in your search for financial aid, help you in the
application process and serve as a reference.

Criminal Justice Degrees have become much more popular over the past decade. People have either discovered that this field is very secure and lucrative or that they do not have enough education to be considered for promotions. There are a number of benefits that have made more and more people consider obtaining a degree in criminal justice and they have been proven true even through a recession. Here is a quick look at just a handful of benefits that are convincing more people to get their criminal justice degree.

1. Diversity

The field of is very broad. Fortunately, a degree in the field, even if it is specialized, is often enough to help you be considered for the job or promotion that you have your eyes on. There are a variety of paths that can be taken once a person has their degree. With so many career opportunities available, this degree gives a person a large amount of flexibility as well as a diverse skill set. There will always be a need for people that have a background in criminal justice and the Bureau of Labor Statistics continues to say that the field will continue to grow, well into the future.

A degree has the ability to radically change someones standard of living. Even at the entry level, jobs that are in the field have a relatively higher starting wage than many other industries. This is especially true when looking at criminal justice fields that are related to technology, such as security systems, online security, and identity theft/fraud. When looking at the annual wage of someone straight out of their bachelor’s program, they will make more than almost any other field. The increase in the standard of living is actually much more than just a wage increase. Individuals in the criminal justice field often have better benefits than other job sectors as well.

3. Taking Control

Many people who have a criminal justice degree will end up running their own business. These business range from being a private detective to providing online security. A number of people with this degree will use it as the foundation of further education. Many students continue their education past their bachelor’s degree, such as becoming a criminal lawyer, public defender, or even a probation or corrections officer.

There is nothing more important to an individual or family than safety and security. A degree in this field can easily provide safety and security for you family. With this degree, it allows you to have a high paying career that often provides exceptional benefits, not only for yourself, but your family. A criminal justice degree also gives you the chance to succeed in a variety of career paths and gives you an added advantage when lobbying for that upcoming promotion. In short, while you will be providing safety and security for others while at work, your degree will be providing safety and security for you and your families future.

Today there is an interesting growth seen in the demand for
Specialized Criminal Justice Professionals. Hence, there is an increase
in the number of people opting for a career in the field of Criminal
Justice. However, before you embark on this career field, it is vital
that you study and acquire the appropriate degrees.

Similar to degrees for any other profession, there is an Associates, Bachelors,
and Masters degrees affiliated to the course, and like any other
Criminal Justice courses it has to be studied thoroughly. You can also
avail of distance learning facilities and study for your courses online.
Schools such as ITT Technical Institute Criminal Justice programs offer
both online and campus courses to meet your needs.

To begin with you must first understand and explore what all career options are
present in this field and what will suit you the most. This field offers
you a number of dynamic and interesting specialization opportunities.
With new philosophies and changes to the laws that have been made in the
recent past, one must be up-to-date and aware of everything that goes
around. The course requires specialized training, adequate educational
background and a right attitude with a sound mind.

There are different career opportunities offered by this field both in the
private sector and the government agencies or the public sector. In the
public sector, the fields related to law and justice includes job
opportunities for positions like that of police investigators,
prosecutors, defenders, administrators and judges. Other jobs are prison
guards, security guards, as well as the probationary officers. The
employers most of the time favors candidates with backgrounds in
psychology, sociology, law, criminology, political science background.
In criminal justice it is important that you specialize in the career
path and not just learn the laws.

The Public sector also offers a variety of choices for employment like working as a police officer, or a government agent for Secret Service, the FBI or even the Homeland
Security. All of these are the popular choices made by students these
days. The other challenging yet intriguing opportunities include working
as evidence experts, CSI Agents, criminal profilers, which require
intelligence and wit in solving most tricky and dangerous criminal
puzzles. These are the various public sector criminal justice jobs,
careers that require a lot of training adequate exposure and a stable
and sound mind to focus and seize the opportunity.

The law and justice is important factor that maintains peace in the society and thus
it is to be handled with much responsibility and vigor. Hence, more
than just learning the laws and implementing them, it is also important
to specialize in the chosen career and fulfill the duties responsibly.